Accessible Information Standard

Healthwatch Walsall undertook a survey on people's experience of health and social care services compliance with the Accessible Information Standard.  They also undertook focus groups.  61 people responded to the survey.

The majority of people taking part in the survey either understood all the information they received from health and care services or understood some of it. However, there were some people who said that they either had difficulty understanding the information or understood none of the information they received. 

Most people answering the questions said that they had asked for support with understanding information, contacting services or communicating with staff. Although a higher number of people had received support when they asked than had not, the numbers being refused support were still relatively high suggesting that there are instances where people are left not being able to understand the information that they have been given despite requesting help. When people had not received support when they had asked for it, the impacts varied with the most common being that service users were unable to contact services or missing appointments. 

Most people said that they were comfortable asking for support. When asked what prevented them from asking for support, the highest number of people said that staff attitudes were a barrier to them asking for help, but so was their own confidence in asking and whether they believed that the information would be available in a way that they could understand. 

GP services and dentists were the services that people found most difficult to use because of communication problems. 

Most people said that they knew how to complain if they wanted to make a complaint about not receiving support when they had asked for it. 

When asked if communication had improved since Covid-19, the highest number of people said that it had improved, although those who said it was worse were more likely to say it was a lot worse. 

The formats and availability of information services use to communicate with people with sensory impairments and disabilities can be inconsistent. Consideration needs to be made that some people are not able to read or write, so person to person contact, whether this be verbally or face to face needs to remain an important communication method. Access to interpreters is also an issue. 

The deaf community found it particularly difficult to have access to a British Sign Language interpreter, sometime taking weeks. This may lead to the use of a family member to attend patient appointments.

 Some current technology does not help communicate with people with specific conditions. i.e., Electronic ‘booking in’ touch screens are not suitable for Blind people. This, combined with the lack of any audio or verbal contact with a staff member may leave Blind/visually impaired patients remaining in the waiting room. 

The lack of good and understandable communication from services can have both physical and mental health impacts on service users. Initial symptoms and causes may escalate from simple treatable levels to complex conditions that may need major intervention or may remain untreated. This may also increase any mental health issues especially around anxiety and worry as well trust issues with services in the future. Good practice was highlighted by some services, NHS 111, Paramedics especially around the times of Covid, although it was noted that some support has stopped.

The report contains seven recommendations.